The NBA: The Lakers Really Kinda Suck Right Now

Any star-studded
team, stacked with four potential Hall-of-Famers at that, should self-implode
when it has more losses than wins 17 games into the season.

So why
haven’t the Lakers done so?

Well, the
long and short of it is this – relative to the other 29 NBA teams, the Lakers
aren’t statistical nightmares. They’re not exactly at the very top or very
bottom of any category EXCEPT TWO (we’ll get to that later, kids).

They’re
third in the Atlantic and tied for 8th in the West with Denver. In spite
of their standing, they’re no longer THE LA team that they’ve perennially been
for the better part of the last gazillion years.

Still, these
are the Lakers. They have Kobe, Dwight, Nash, and Pau. They have Metta World
Peace, who may be a head case (okay, IS a head case), but is at least a
serviceable head case, and Antawn Jamison, who can still score in bunches (I
think). They have relatively solid back-ups in Steve Blake, Jodie Meeks, and
Jordan Hill. And they have offensive wizard Mike D’Antoni as coach.

Their roster
is better than the 8-9 record they have. So what gives? Why do they suck?

Contrary to
probable knee-jerk reactions, there is no real problem with either LA’s
defense, despite D’Antoni’s deficiency in this area, or offense – the Lakers
are top 10 in the league in three-pointers made, offensive boards, FG%, 3pt%,
and points-per-game. They are also middle of the pack in terms of points
allowed, blocks, and top 3 in defensive boards. They should be a good team, but
why aren’t they?

Here’s the
rub – the Lakers have the WORST free throw percentage (an eye-gouging 66.5%),
and are tied with the MOST TURNOVERS per outing (16.4 topg – tied with Houston,
which is half a game ahead of the Lakers).

The Big Fella is the biggest brick-builder in California.(image by Mark J. Terrill/AP)

The Lakers
can’t take care of the ball well enough (hello, Nash, come back NOW!), and they
can’t shoot for XXXX on the line. And the fault falls on their top two players
– Kobe and Dwight. Both superstars combine to norm more than 7 turnovers per
game, while shooting a combined 63% from the line. LA’s top two players cannot
perform that badly and lead a team at the same time.

Which is,
naturally, the reason why they’ll get rid of Pau Gasol before Christmas. Of
course Gasol is the problem. Of course.

See why the
Lakers suck now? Sheesh. Come on, LA! You have to be better than this, or else who
can beat Miami outside of the Thunder?!?!?!?!

Game
Recaps (courtesy of the Sports Network):

New York 106, Phoenix 99

Carmelo
Anthony netted 34 points in the New York Knicks' 106-99 victory over the
Phoenix Suns. Raymond Felton tallied 23 points and seven assists, while Tyson
Chandler added 15 points and 13 rebounds for New York, which has won three
straight and four of its last five games and remained unbeaten at home. Marcin
Gortat had 18 points and 10 boards for the Suns, who have dropped their last
three contests.

Chris Copeland and the Knicks continue theirunbeaten run at the MSG.(image by Henry Ray Abrams/AP)

Orlando 113, LA Lakers 103

The Orlando
Magic didn't seem to miss their former All-Star center on Sunday night. In
Dwight Howard's first game against his former club, Arron Afflalo stole the
show by netting a team-high 30 points, as the Orlando Magic upended the Los
Angeles Lakers, 113-103, at Staples Center. Jameer Nelson returned to the
lineup after a one-game absence and registered a double-double with 19 points
and 13 assists. Glen Davis chipped in 23 points and 12 rebounds, and Nikola
Vucevic donated 17 points and 12 boards for the Magic, who snapped a three-game
skid. Kobe Bryant paced the Lakers with 34 points, seven rebounds and five
assists in the setback, Los Angeles' fourth in its last six games. Howard, who
spent his first eight seasons in Orlando before landing in Los Angeles in a
blockbuster four-team deal, tallied 21 points and 15 rebounds on Sunday, but
his woeful 9-for-21 free-throw shooting plagued his new team late.